Great Truths of the Gospel ... and the Errors People Often Make About It: Search For Truth Bible Series

By Brian Johnston

In this important two-part book, Brian Johnston first explores 7 core elements of the Christian Gospel - Its Need, Its Source, Its Ground, Its Means, Its Centre, Its Goal, and Its Evidence. In the second half of the book, he goes on to use the Bible to correct 7 major errors that people believe about God and His gospel: i) that we can fall away from Christ, ii) that the good we do can outweigh the bad, iii) that God is only one Person. iv) that God's Spirit is only an impersonal influence. v) that we can lose our salvation, vi) that Christ was no more than a man, vii) that baptism in water is necessary for salvation. Overall, this book is a helpful apologetics tool for Christians to use for evangelism, as well as for strengthening their own understanding of what they believe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Hayes Press
• Release date: Jan 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215656518

Brian Johnston

Born and educated in Scotland, Brian worked as a government scientist until God called him into full-time Christian ministry on behalf of the Churches of God (www.churchesofgod.info). His voice has been heard on Search For Truth radio broadcasts for over 30 years (visit www.searchfortruth.podbean.com) during which time he has been an itinerant Bible teacher throughout the UK and Canada. His evangelical and missionary work outside the UK is primarily in Belgium and The Philippines. He is married to Rosemary, with a son and daughter.

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Brian Johnston

Great Truths of the Gospel .... And the Errors People Often Make About It

First published by Hayes Press 2019

Copyright © 2019 by Brian Johnston

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

Brian Johnston asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

Unless otherwise stated all scriptures are from the HOLY BIBLE, the New King James Version® (NKJV®). Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked RV are from the Revised Version Bible (1885, Public Domain). Scripture quotations marked NASB are from from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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Contents

I. GREAT TRUTHS OF THE GOSPEL ...

ITS NEED

ITS SOURCE

ITS GROUND

ITS MEANS

ITS CENTRE

ITS GOAL

ITS EVIDENCE

II. ... AND THE ERRORS PEOPLE OFTEN MAKE ABOUT IT ...

THE ERROR THAT WE CAN FALL AWAY FROM CHRIST

THE ERROR THAT THE GOOD WE DO CAN OUTWEIGH THE BAD (THE BIGGEST LIE IN THE WORLD)

THE ERROR THAT GOD IS ONLY ONE PERSON

THE ERROR THAT GOD’S SPIRIT IS ONLY AN IMPERSONAL INFLUENCE

THE ERROR THAT WE CAN LOSE OUR SALVATION

THE ERROR THAT CHRIST WAS NO MORE THAN A MAN

THE ERROR THAT BAPTISM IN WATER IS NECESSARY FOR SALVATION

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MORE BOOKS BY BRIAN JOHNSTON

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

I

GREAT TRUTHS OF THE GOSPEL ...

1

ITS NEED

Have you ever stopped yourself from buying something by asking yourself: ‘Do I really need this?’ It’s the great trick advertisers use to convince us that life would be unbearable without whatever it is they’re promoting. Most of the time that’s just an illusion created by the image-makers.

But over the next few studies, I’d like to share with you something that we all really do need. How can I know that when I don’t even know you personally? Because we’ll be talking about God’s special offer to each one of us as described in the Bible. And because it’s God who’s making the offer we can be sure it’s something we really do all need, something we simply can’t afford to be without.

What we’re talking about is what the Bible calls ‘the Gospel’. The word means ‘good news’. In this set of studies we hope to find out just why the Gospel is good news. But, as we say, the first step is to convince ourselves that it’s something we really do need. There’s a verse in the Bible which says: "For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another." That’s what the apostle Paul wrote to someone called Titus. It’s found in the letter in our Bibles called after Titus, and in chapter 3 verse 3 we have the words already quoted: "For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another." That’s a description of what these early Christians were before they became believers on the Lord Jesus. And it’s pretty powerful evidence for why we need the Gospel, isn’t it? Disobedient and deceived; lusts and pleasures; malice and envy; hateful and hating - those four couplets show the full extent of our human depravity. That’s why we need the Gospel for that’s how God sees each and every one of us. No-one can go to heaven like that.

Let’s just focus on the last of those four couplets. You remember the one? - it described us as hateful and hating. And how we react to one another is a reflection of our attitude to God himself. Maybe you think that’s going a bit too far. Not that many people would describe themselves as militant atheists, and yet, according to the Bible, even the most ardent unconverted church-goer – even if he or she is an acclaimed as a pillar of society - is basically at enmity with God. Biblically, we’re spoken of as being enemies in our minds by Paul in Colossians chapter 1. You can do all the right things and say all the right things and yet, without knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, your heart is hostile towards God, whether you suspect it or not. That’s why the Gospel appeal can be summed up in words lifted from the end of Second Corinthians chapter 5 – and the words are: Be reconciled to God.

In January 1998, the then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, paid an official visit to Japan. During his visit the Japanese made an official apology for their treatment of British prisoners of war during the Second World War. This extended to a package of measures which were offered so as to bring about reconciliation. Ill-treatment had alienated the men concerned and their families and made them hostile and so it was they, the British, who needed to be reconciled to the Japanese and not vice versa.

This reminds me of how the word is used in the Bible. God is never spoken of as needing to be reconciled to us. For - far from hating us - he already loves us. He hates our sin - that’s true - but quite another matter. The hatred, the hostility, is all on our part. And yet Romans chapter 5 says: "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us ... when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son."

The story is told of Joe and Bill. In the past they’d been good friends but some offence had been caused which had resulted in a bitter feud between them. For years it’d gone on and now Joe was on his death-bed. He sent for Bill and explained he was afraid to enter eternity with things standing the way they were between the two of them. He told Bill he’d forgive all the insults hurled at him if Bill would forgive the things he’d said and done to him. Bill agreed and things were all settled. Eventually Bill stood up to go. He got to the door before Joe called: ‘but remember it’s all off if I recover!’

God’s offer to us is not ‘yes’ and ‘no’ because a death has taken place to bring about reconciliation: the death of Jesus Christ, God’s Son. Read again the words of Romans chapter 5 verse 10: "when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son." When by God’s grace we believe that Jesus’ death on the cross was for us, a tremendous change takes place in our nature and in our life.

There is a hymn which says, ‘What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart’ -